纽约时报 贸易僵局引中国对美投资锐减(1)

Trade War Leads Chinese Spending In U.S. to Plunge¹

贸易僵局引中国对美投资锐减

By Alan Rappeport

文/阿兰·拉巴波特

Growing distrust between the United States and China has slowed the once steady flow of Chinese cash into America,

美中两国互不信任的局面日益恶化，导致原本稳定的中国资金流速放缓，

with Chinese investment plummeting² by nearly 90 percent since President Trump³ took office.

自特朗普总统上任以来，来自中国的投资暴跌已近9成。

The falloff, which is being felt broadly across the economy,

美国经济普遍受到了暴跌的影响。之所以出现暴跌，

stems from tougher regulatory scrutiny⁴ in the United States and a less hospitable⁵ climate toward Chinese investment,

究其原因，一是美国加强了监管审查，二是国内对中方的投资环境不再友好，

as well as Beijing’s tightened⁶ limits on foreign spending.

除此之外，北京也收紧了对外投资的限制。

It is affecting a range of industries including Silicon⁷ Valley start-ups, the Manhattan real estate market

暴跌正在影响一系列行业，如硅谷初创企业、曼哈顿房地产市场

and state governments that spent years wooing Chinese investment,

以及多年来一直致力于吸引中国投资的各州政府，

underscoring how the world’s two largest economies are beginning to decouple after years of increasing integration⁸.

暴跌也表明，多年来一直在加强一体化的两大经济体已经开始脱钩。

“The fact that the foreign direct investment has fallen so sharply

“外来直接投资大幅缩减

is symbolic⁹ of how badly the economic relationship between the United States and China has deteriorated,”

标志着美中经济关系已经严重恶化，”

said Eswar Prasad, former head of the International Monetary¹⁰ Fund’s China division.

国际货币基金组织（IMF）中国部前负责人埃斯瓦尔·普拉萨德表示。

“The U.S. doesn’t trust the Chinese, and China doesn’t trust the U.S.”

“美国不信任中国，中国也不信任美国。”

For years, Chinese investment into the United States had been accelerating,

多年来，中国的对美投资一直在攀升，

with money pouring into autos, tech, energy and agriculture and fueling new jobs in Michigan, South Carolina, Missouri, Texas and other states.

中方资金源源不断地涌入美国的汽车、科技、能源和农业领域，为密歇根、南卡罗来纳、密苏里、得克萨斯等州创造了大量就业。

As China’s economy boomed,

随着中国经济的蓬勃发展，

state and local governments along with American companies looked to snap up some of those Chinese funds.

各州政府及地方政府连同美国企业都在争相吸引中方资金。

But Mr. Trump’s economic Cold War has helped reverse that trend.

然而，特朗普的经济冷战推动了这一趋势的逆转。

Chinese foreign direct investment in the United States fell to $5.4 billion in 2018 from a peak of $46.5 billion in 2016, a drop of 88 percent,

经济研究公司荣鼎咨询的数据显示，截至2018年，

according to data from Rhodium Group, an economic research firm.

中国对美直接投资已经从2016年的峰值465亿美元跌至54亿美元，跌幅88%。

Preliminary figures through April of this year, which account for investments by mainland Chinese companies,

就今年4月的初步统计数据来看，中国大陆企业的投资规模为28亿美元，

suggested only a modest uptick from last year, with transactions valued at $2.8 billion.

相比去年仅略有上浮。

“I certainly hear in conversations with investors¹¹ a lot of concern about whether the U.S. market is still open,”

“和投资者交谈的过程中，我确实听到了很多有关美国市场今后是否还会继续开放的顾虑，”

said Rod Hunter, a lawyer at Baker¹² McKenzie who specializes in foreign investment reviews.

贝克麦坚时律师事务所专门从事外国投资评估的律师罗德·亨特说道。

“You have a potentially chilling effect for Chinese investors.”

“当前的形势可能引发中国投资者的寒蝉效应。”

1 plunge   

v.跳入，(使)投入，(使)陷入；猛冲

参考例句：

• Test pool's water temperature before you plunge in.在你跳入之前你应该测试水温。
• That would plunge them in the broil of the two countries.那将会使他们陷入这两国的争斗之中。

2 plummeting   

v.垂直落下，骤然跌落( plummet的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Prices are rising, falling, going up, going down, shooting up, plummeting, etc. 物价在上涨、下跌、上升、下落、猛然上涨、骤然下跌等。 来自辞典例句
• The enemy plane went plummeting into the sea. 敌机直直掉进海里。 来自辞典例句

3 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

4 scrutiny   

n.详细检查，仔细观察

参考例句：

• His work looks all right,but it will not bear scrutiny.他的工作似乎很好，但是经不起仔细检查。
• Few wives in their forties can weather such a scrutiny.很少年过四十的妻子经得起这么仔细的观察。

5 hospitable   

adj.好客的；宽容的；有利的，适宜的

参考例句：

• The man is very hospitable.He keeps open house for his friends and fellow-workers.那人十分好客，无论是他的朋友还是同事，他都盛情接待。
• The locals are hospitable and welcoming.当地人热情好客。

6 tightened   

收紧( tighten的过去式和过去分词 )； （使）变紧； （使）绷紧； 加紧

参考例句：

• The rope holding the boat suddenly tightened and broke. 系船的绳子突然绷断了。
• His index finger tightened on the trigger but then relaxed again. 他的食指扣住扳机，然后又松开了。

7 silicon   

n.硅(旧名矽)

参考例句：

• This company pioneered the use of silicon chip.这家公司开创了使用硅片的方法。
• A chip is a piece of silicon about the size of a postage stamp.芯片就是一枚邮票大小的硅片。

8 integration   

n.一体化，联合，结合

参考例句：

• We are working to bring about closer political integration in the EU.我们正在努力实现欧盟內部更加紧密的政治一体化。
• This was the greatest event in the annals of European integration.这是欧洲统一史上最重大的事件。

9 symbolic   

adj.象征性的，符号的，象征主义的

参考例句：

• It is symbolic of the fighting spirit of modern womanhood.它象征着现代妇女的战斗精神。
• The Christian ceremony of baptism is a symbolic act.基督教的洗礼仪式是一种象征性的做法。

10 monetary   

adj.货币的，钱的；通货的；金融的；财政的

参考例句：

• The monetary system of some countries used to be based on gold.过去有些国家的货币制度是金本位制的。
• Education in the wilderness is not a matter of monetary means.荒凉地区的教育不是钱财问题。

11 investors   

n.投资者，出资者( investor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a con man who bilked investors out of millions of dollars 诈取投资者几百万元的骗子
• a cash bonanza for investors 投资者的赚钱机会

12 baker   

n.面包师

参考例句：

• The baker bakes his bread in the bakery.面包师在面包房内烤面包。
• The baker frosted the cake with a mixture of sugar and whites of eggs.面包师在蛋糕上撒了一层白糖和蛋清的混合料。